THE JUNE 9 CAPITOL PRESS CONFERENCE

WHO WAS THERE

The event was led by Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) and joined by a bipartisan group including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Tim Burchett (R-TN), and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), alongside David Grusch — the former intelligence officer and Air Force veteran whose 2023 testimony alleged a government UAP crash-retrieval program. Journalists and advocates associated with the disclosure movement, including Leslie Kean and filmmaker James Fox, were also present. The press conference was carried publicly, including on C-SPAN.

THE DEMANDS

The central asks were procedural rather than sensational: declassification of UAP-related records, stronger whistleblower protections, passage of disclosure legislation, and greater congressional oversight. Burlison called on President Trump to waive nondisclosure agreements for individuals with knowledge of alleged government UAP programs and to grant immunity to those willing to testify — "Grant immunity to anyone who has already come forward, and everyone who will come forward," he said. Lawmakers argued that without legal protection, other potential witnesses would stay silent.

THE ALLEGATIONS

Grusch repeated and expanded his earlier claims, accusing intelligence agencies — the Defense Intelligence Agency in particular — of obstructing congressional oversight by withholding records that lawmakers had lawfully requested, and of hiding substantial federal spending tied to classified programs. Burlison separately described receiving what he called a "Tom Clancy-style dead drop" of sensitive material, including MQ-9 drone footage, and questioned why such information could not be shared with Congress. These are allegations and characterizations made at the event; they are not, as of this writing, established by released documents.

WHERE THE RECORD STANDS

The press conference is part of the same pressure that produced the UAP Disclosure Act and the PURSUE release program. What the public can verify today is the published record itself — the tranches at war.gov, which the lawmakers want expanded and accelerated. Umbra indexes that record so the documented half of the story is always one tap away from the claims being made about it.